ACR cook off for Children In Need

Rather embarrassingly, I won this year’s ACR Bake Off in aid of Red Nose Day!

I promise it wasn’t fixed. And while I admitted to setting my alarm early to get up and bake rocky road before breakfast, that was more to do with running out of time the evening before than a desire to serve up ‘still warm from the oven’ treats!

The whole idea started off as a bit of fun and a money spinner for charity.
Things quickly got very competitive – it was almost cook books at dawn!

We had everything from Delia’s finest to ‘Granny’s family recipe’ among the offerings. There were quiches and brownies, muffins, cakes, savoury snacks and biscuits. Every portion was sold for a donation to the charity which was, of course, the winner in the end.

On the side, there was the option for each taster to vote for their favourite. The goodies were donated anonymously so it really can’t have been rigged!

We have a few new members of the team this year who are an unknown quantity in the kitchen so today in the ACR office could be interesting!

I’ll let you know who wins – and how much we raise!

Charity gala dinner – what a celebration!

I was privileged to be at the Gala Dinner marking the 15th anniversary of the Peterborough Business Support Group of the NSPCC yesterday (November 10).

I’ve personally supported the Group since it started and I’ve managed to persuade the rest of the ACR team to get involved in various fundraising stunts over the years to help boost the Group’s bank account.

As a mum, any child-related cause is always going to feel like a worthy one. But what particularly appeals about the Peterborough Business Support Group is that all the money it raises goes to support vulnerable children in this area.

There are almost 200 children desperately needing supporting in Peterborough alone – the way I see it, that’s 200 reasons to do something.

The event, held at Peterborough Marriott Hotel, felt like the celebration it was.

There was a draw for a Mulberry handbag, some amazing auction prizes including use of a Florida villa and a ‘money can’t buy’ evening at the opera with Penny Smith which went for an incredible £3,500.

Penny Smith was the special guest and gave an after dinner speech recalling her time as a cub reporter on the Peterborough Evening Telegraph and spilling some secrets from the GMTV sofa.

I think the high point of the night though was the tribute paid by a representative of the NSPCC to the Group’s Chairman Chris Collier. I’m proud to know Chris and he is one of those incredibly humble people who will fight tooth and nail for the cause without ever accepting any of the credit.

Last night, he received some very well deserved recognition for his unswerving dedication to the cause since 1996.

A great evening to be part of, a worthwhile cause and a fitting celebration.

AWR – a month on

The Agency Workers Regulations are now part of employment law. The regulations have been talked about for the last couple of years and we’ve been working with clients for much of that time to ensure the necessary processes are in place.

In short, the regulations bring the terms of pay and basic working conditions for temporary agency workers in line with comparable permanent members of staff.

Some of that entitlement has already kicked in.

So, if you offer permanent staff collective facilities such as access to a canteen and child care facilities, temporary staff doing the same job also need to be given that access. However, if there is, for instance, a waiting list for child care facilities, temporary staff only need adding to that list – they don’t jump the queue. And if say gym membership is part of the deal but it takes four weeks to organise and the temp is only going to be with you for a week it’s reasonable not to worry about it.

The next date for the calendar is December 24. That’s the 12 week mark from the introduction of the regulations when other benefits such as holiday entitlement start.

Of course this will be a rolling process as temps come and go.

If you’re still unsure where your responsibilities lie for the implementation of the regulations please get in touch. They can’t be ignored!

university vs work based learning

The threat of graduating with £27,000 of debts (before students have even started paying for rent, bills, food and a social life) is putting many school leavers off university.

That doesn’t mean they’re losing their ambition.

Eighteen year olds still want a career, they’re keen to learn and want to develop themselves.

But university doesn’t have to be the answer.

We’re seeing candidates with a clutch of good A level results, enthusiasm and, in many cases, a vocation, desperate to get a foot in the door.

We’d now like companies to engage with them. We’d love companies to understand the value non-graduates can bring to a firm, maybe on an apprenticeship basis.

There are examples right here in Peterborough of companies which run very successful training schemes. In the three years while others are off at university, their trainees are being shaped, learning the job and providing value to the business. Their loyalty is being secured.

While the ‘apprentice’ description sounds like old hat the idea is very 21st century, working well in these times of austerity. Apprentices or trainees will generally have lower starting salary expectations than graduates but, within a short space of time, will be bringing value into your business.

Besides all that, providing an opportunity to a young adult to begin their career without the prospect of spending 30 years in the red, is guaranteed to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling!

Agency Workers Regulations

Tomorrow’s date October 1, 2011 has been looming over us as recruiters for a long time. It’s deadline day for the introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations – a day we’ve been preparing for for around two years.

Yet still there are some companies, mainly small to medium sized ones, which haven’t taken steps to ensure compliance. This may be a ‘head in the sand’ tactic or it may be that they’re not aware it will affect them. But it will.

Every company which uses temporary staff needs to be aware of the legislation and have a policy of implementation.

In short, the AWR brings the terms of basic working and employment condition for temporary agency workers in line with comparable permanent members of staff. Some of their entitlements kick in from day one – such as access to collective facilities and amenities, for instance canteens and child care facilities. Others such as holiday entitlement start after 12 weeks.

The reality is that the majority of temporary staff, who provide a hugely valuable service, are already well treated and rewarded. The regulations will simply provide a safety net.

Like many agencies, we have invested a substantial amount of time and effort in preparing for the implementation and helping our clients prepare. We hope those efforts will help inspire confidence among our clients.

For those who haven’t yet sought advice or help, it’s not too late – in fact it’s a necessity to avoid falling foul of the legislation and potentially facing legal action.

We can provide a free assessment of your situation to ensure you have all the necessary processes in place – please get in touch.

Shocking statistics woke up Peterborough’s HR world

Around 200 HR professionals from Peterborough received a shock over their breakfast coffee on Tuesday morning!

At the annual Employment Law Briefing we organise with Hegarty LLP Solicitors, Martin Bloom – the employment partner there - warned the amount of discrimination claims could double from 285,000 this year.

That’s an expert saying there could be half a million disgruntled employees bringing claims against the companies they work for – that’s not only a big number that’s also a substantial increase.

Much of that rise will come as a result of the new strands of discrimination brought in by last year’s Equality Act. It’s only now that the effects of the act are starting to be felt.

The main change is all to do with associative and perceptive discrimination rules. The Equality Acts names ‘protected characteristics’ – these include race, sex, religion, sexual orientation and age. It is against the law to discriminate against someone for any of these characteristics. It is now also against the law to discriminate against someone ‘on the grounds of the protected characteristic’ but not necessarily that person’s own protected characteristic. Thankfully Martin’s real life example explained it more clearly than the law does! A woman was the victim of disability discrimination when she was treated less favourably because she cared for her disabled son.

Similarly, a case of perceived discrimination: a man who wasn’t either gay or believed to be gay but who was subjected to ‘banter and innuendo’ on the grounds he went to public school and lived in Brighton successfully brought an harassment case.

This widens the net for victims of discrimination and is something all HR professionals need to be aware of.

Also discussed during the seminar were statutory sick pay and case law.
As always the seminar was fascinating and we are delighted to be able to continue our association with Hegartys in organising it.

Employment Law Briefing

The rules governing sick pay date back to 1992 which is why they haven’t been on the agenda at our employment law briefings in a while. That’s why we felt it was worth revisiting them at this year’s event, being held on September 20th.

With the average worker absent from work for 8.4 days a year, around £10-£12 billion of productivity is lost annually in this country. Managing sickness absence is a big issue. Our very able presenters from Hegarty’s will not only be helping delegates brush up on the rules but will offer some tips about how best to address long term, short term and unauthorised absence among employees.

Also being discussed at the seminar are the two new strands of discrimination introduced by last year’s Equality Act. Associative and perceptive discrimination are entirely new aspects and quite complicated to get a handle on. Plenty of case studies will be shared to help explain the necessary definitions and interpretations.

We’ve been organising the employment law seminar in association with Hegarty’s for more than a decade. As in previous years, we are expecting around 200 HR professionals from the Greater Peterborough area to attend.

We like to think it’s the subject matter and the professionalism of the presenters rather than just the offer of a free breakfast that encourages them to get up early! If you’re not averse to an early alarm call, there are a few places left so do get in touch if you’d like to come.